malefaction
Definition
- Noun:
- An evil deed or crime: "malefaction" refers to an act of wrongdoing, wickedness, or illegal activity. It denotes a specific instance of harmful or immoral behavior.
Usage Examples
- (Each evil or criminal act was recorded.)
- (His harmful or illegal action led to consequences.)
- (One wicked deed alters their lives.)
Advanced Usage
"to commit a malefaction": to perform an evil or criminal act.
- The spy committed a serious malefaction by stealing classified documents. (The spy performed a harmful, illegal act.)
"a pattern of malefaction": a recurring series of evil deeds.
- The investigation revealed a pattern of malefaction spanning decades. (A repeated sequence of criminal acts was uncovered.)
Variants and Related Words
Malefactor (noun): a person who commits a crime or evil deed.
- The prison housed many notorious malefactors. (The prison held famous criminals.)
Malevolent (adj): having or showing a wish to do evil to others.
- His malevolent glare made everyone uncomfortable. (His evil-intentioned look caused unease.)
Synonyms
- Crime: an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted.
- Wickedness: the quality of being evil or morally wrong.
- Transgression: an act that goes against a law, rule, or code of conduct.
Phrasal Verbs
Related Idioms
"an ill deed": an evil or harmful action (similar in meaning to malefaction).
- He regretted his ill deed and sought forgiveness. (He regretted his evil act.)
"a blot on one's record": a malefaction that tarnishes a person's reputation.
- The scandal was a blot on his otherwise clean record. (The evil deed damaged his reputation.)